I need your opinion. Does SEO still work during a recession?

by WarriorForum.com Administrator
32 replies
  • SEO
  • |
An author on Search Engine Journal reckons that SEO can be one of your most valuable tools in an economic downturn.

But what do you think?



It doesn't take a professional economist to predict the global markets are headed for a downturn. In the past year, inflation rates in the United States have hovered around 7%, with the IMF predicting the worst is yet to come. People everywhere feel the crunch of high gas prices and rising food costs.

The thing is, as expenses rise, many businesses are preparing to tighten their belts, cut unnecessary spending and ride out the storm until the global markets turn back around. As you're looking to cut the fat in your own company, it can be very tempting to slash your advertising and marketing budget.

The author here says this is a huge mistake.

The reasoning? By eliminating or even scaling down your marketing efforts, you're hurting the growth and maintenance of your customer base. New customers will be harder to reach while existing customers will be unaware of new products, services, and deals.

In essence, marketing is an investment - not an expense. And in an age dominated by the internet, this is especially true of search engine optimization. So, if you are considering cutting your SEO budget, the article says DON'T DO IT.

Why Does SEO Do Well In Economic Downturns?

When times are tough, you need to find a better value for your dollar. Your money needs to stretch further and work harder. In marketing, few channels work harder than search for most products and services. How do we know this? Because economies are cyclical, and this isn't our first recession rodeo.

In the SEO era (i.e., since roughly 1991), we've had three significant recessions. During these times, it's been discovered that SEO still performs. This can be attributed to a few reasons, namely:
  • It's flexible: Even if you're a small fish competing with an industry-dominating competitor, SEO gives you the flexibility to attract new customers. Long-tail keywords help you target highly specific searches. Local search helps people in your area find you, and a regularly updated website lets visitors know that you're thriving (or at least maintaining), despite the larger economic environment.
  • It's integrated: SEO fits in with your Facebook, Snapchat, or any other to help your business appear in search results. This creates an inbound marketing funnel just by taking an optimal approach to things you're probably already doing.
  • It's budget-friendly: Aside from your computer/internet/electricity costs - all of which you're already paying for - SEO is primarily a time investment. Even if you're outsourcing your search engine optimization, you're paying for your expert's time and not hard costs like billboards, paid digital ads, and television commercials (all of which also require a labor investment).

To reap the benefits of SEO, you don't need to buy anything; you only need to do your homework, create great content, and optimize your site for web crawlers.

Well, that's the reasoning behind the article. What do you think?
#opinion #recession #seo #work
  • Well I think the article is correct. I used local search engine optimization ( SEO ) to increase traffic to my driving school business, during the beginning of the covid19 era, not that we're totally out of the covid19 era just yet. SEO has definitely kept my businesses sustainable during rough economic conditions.

    Search engine optimization is the most affordable way to effectively market your business/websites online. With proper keyword research and a willingness to produce great quality content, you'll have an endless stream of highly targeted traffic finding what you have to offer your marketplace.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Loop
    SEO is always relevant. However, in a recession lots of people will join SEO as an strategy to reach markets, but the ones who started the work early will likely reap the benefits during the recession.
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  • Profile picture of the author kaushikda
    Yes, SEO is the most valuable and cost-effective tool as it will ensure your every penny counts. It proves an effective technique for smaller businesses to let users know what your niche is and that you're thriving. SEO also creates an in-bound marketing funnel to target highly specific searches. Most importantly, it is budget-friendly and guarantees handsome ROI which is crucial during an economic recession.
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  • Profile picture of the author mediamaksuk
    SEO allows businesses to focus on more on-tail keywords to find localized or specific target audiences.
    SEO can still be incredibly budget-friendly during a recession because companies can use free outlets such as social media.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hafiz Haxxan
    Yes, SEO will work during a recession. Because whenever you decide to start the work you should start the SEO.
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  • Profile picture of the author White Pearl
    In my opinion , it still works and recession will even make it more powerful.
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  • Profile picture of the author hyperjerkseo
    SEO (search engine optimization) can be a valuable strategy for businesses during a recession because it can help to increase the visibility and accessibility of a website to potential customers. In a recession, businesses may face increased competition as more companies try to attract customers who are tightening their budgets. SEO can help a business to stand out by improving its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) and making it more likely that potential customers will find and visit the website.

    However, it is important to keep in mind that SEO is just one aspect of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, and it is important to consider a range of tactics to reach potential customers during a recession. This might include using paid advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, or other tactics to reach potential customers.

    Overall, it is important for businesses to be proactive and adaptable during a recession, and SEO can be one of the tools that they use to help them stay competitive and attract customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author praetserge
    It makes no sense to me. SEO is important regardless of the economic conditions.
    Actually, companies might try to lower costs when the times are hard and cut a bit of seo.
    Let's be realistic... good links are expensive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jessika Harris
    Yes, SEO still works during a recession. In fact, SEO can be even more effective during a recession because there is less competition due to fewer businesses actively marketing online. SEO can help businesses continue to reach their target audiences, despite the economic slowdown. Additionally, SEO can help businesses remain competitive while cutting back on other marketing expenses.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alihusnain
    As the economy continues to struggle, some people may be thinking about ways to save money and improve their website's search ranking. One popular way to do this is through online search engine optimization (SEO). However, even though SEO can still play a role during a recession, it's important to be cautious with how much you use it. In particular, don't overdo it - too much effort can actually backfire and decrease your site's ranking in Google.
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  • Profile picture of the author amitlrajdev
    Yes it does. It doesn't matter whether it's recession or booming economy, SEO bring you those client who are looking for your products or services. So those who have money in their wallet and planning to buy something will do Google search and contact those vendor which ranking.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Allen III
    always....but getting the sales during the period not so much.
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  • Profile picture of the author stevendavida
    Of course Yes,SEO will working in recession situation. SEO is easy to learn & Do For Small Business. Companies might try to lower costs budget for continue business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Eternal Student
    SEO Always works
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  • Profile picture of the author goodrayhan
    SEO always works, whether there is a recession or not. Sadly though people lately have been spending less and I did notice the significant hit in sales for my ecommerce store lately.
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  • Profile picture of the author austin amspoker
    ya also work seo in recession
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  • Profile picture of the author HawkeyeDigital
    SEO would be not banished but it would be coming in different ways , better optimized , therefore SEO always work for all .
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  • Profile picture of the author Serp Solace
    SEO will always matter , regardless of any recession.
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  • Profile picture of the author hilarious89
    In my opinion SEO will always be no matter what is the recession. During Covid era wil have observed that SEO helped digital marketer to promote their business. A lot from offline brands have survived using digital platform and without SEO none can reach to the potential clients. Hope my comments makes sense.

    Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author rclemente
    Hello, how is everyone doing?

    I feel SEO would still work during a recession, tough times, the pandemic etc.... Keep in mind during these times people are going to be online even more so the key is having content that will rank you high in the search engines according to your offer with targeted keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author seo tools report
    SEO works and will work in the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author Surbhi Chauhan
    SEO always works, be it recession or not. This is a purely organic industry that is relevant to direct users, not to any company. That's why it will work in every environment.
    I personally like SEO and have seen the growth of multiple businesses in the recession and in the COVID era too. so, with my personal experience, I can say this.
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  • Profile picture of the author zainsultan
    SEO always works and matters; SEO can not dead.
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Helvis Smoteks
    SEO actually is even more relevant during a recession because people will want to find more ways to get "free" traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author babareps
    Yes, SEO is an effective way to optimize. It's like when you want more people to know about your website or other information, you need to create the main keyword. When a search for this keyword is generated, Google will display your listing information.
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  • Profile picture of the author hangersandcovers
    During these times, it's been discovered that SEO still performs. This can be attributed to a few reasons, namely: It's flexible: Even if you're a small fish competing with an industry-dominating competitor, SEO gives you the flexibility to attract new customer
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  • Profile picture of the author BrijeshM
    yes, I think SEO is the Never ending.
    It will work even in a recession.
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  • Profile picture of the author amthakur92
    Sustainability is what we can reckon as the best asset of SEO, it always remains ever-evolving but offers great value in the longer run.

    The other factor that makes it the first choice is affordability.
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  • Profile picture of the author AshlynBambina
    Definitely Yes!!!!

    SEO can still work during a recession. Even though competition in business is higher and the budget is tighter, businesses from SEO is still be benefitted by focusing on cost-effective tactics such as keyword research, content creation, link building, and local SEO. SEO can help businesses stay competitive and increase visibility during a recession.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOMarketingFirm
    Definitely SEO (Search Engine Optimization ) Still Works!!!... IN A RECESSION AS WELL.
    As customer's hold their wallets closer in the recession, you still want to remain TOP of mind for your customers with the cash they DO intend to spend.

    Even as some advertising cost start to lower, economically SEO may be one of the best ways to point your customer to your product or service.

    *Dominating that Keyword
    *The right Signals

    May just be what that soon-to-be customer needs to determine you are their choice.

    Long Live SEO
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  • Profile picture of the author Ronn O
    Yes, when it comes to organic traffic
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  • Profile picture of the author harrykarl
    SEO, or search engine optimization, can still be effective during a recession. While businesses may have less money to spend on marketing, SEO can be a cost-effective way to drive targeted traffic to a website. Additionally, during a recession, businesses may be more focused on cutting costs, and SEO can help them to be more efficient with their marketing spend. However, it's important to note that the competition for visibility on search engines may also increase during a recession, so businesses may need to work harder to maintain or improve their rankings.
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